Everyone’s messed around with building bocks in some form or another at some point in their life. Everyone. It’s kind of a universal thing. Which is a big reason as to why I’m somewhat amazed that very few people have attempted to merge the concept with interactive design. It’s one of those ideas that doesn’t seem obvious until someone comes up with it. And Boldai came up with it.

Blocksworld is, in essence, a set of virtual building blocks. Structures can be cobbled together, tiny people can be crafted, and all manner of impossible creations can appear with a few taps and flicks. But simply creating a thing is only the beginning. Once that mutant frog or towering skyscraper is complete, it can be brought to life or used as an asset in an animated movie or even video game. This is because it’s more than just a sandbox, it’s an incredibly easy to use toolset for creative types.

Any iOS user can open up Blocksworld and create whatever their imagination can come up with. Then they can use it to create their own action movie or turn it into a game, then they can share it with the world on the official website. Or Twitter and Facebook, of course. The tools are rudimentary but the sky is indeed the limit.

Blocksworld is still in beta but is expected to release later this summer. There’s no official word on pricing yet but users will be able to purchase additional content packs (prices also TBD) in order to bolster their creative arsenal.

Holy crap. No, seriously, holy crap. Pixowl Inc, in collaboration with Bulkypix, are poised to unleash something major on the App Store. It might look like a simple toy at first, but make no mistake: The SandBox is packing some seriously intense concepts behind that cute facade.

When The SandBox first caught my attention, I thought it looked like a nifty little pixelated world-building game. In a way, it kind of is. However, I was thoroughly unprepared for just how many different aspects of this created world could be manipulated. Water will flow down hills, erode stone into sand, turn dirt into fertile soil, evaporate in extreme heat and freeze in extreme cold. Flowers and trees can grow. Weather will develop based largely on the environment. Players can even make rudimentary circuits to do anything from heating to creating light.

The SandBox is still very much in beta at the moment, but that's no reason not to get excited. What's already implemented is pretty amazing, actually. A lot of specifics are still up in the air, such as the final number of "story" levels (currently around 20), price and release date. It's kind of a shame because this is all so cool, but then again it's probably best not to rush things. Although the super-curious or anxious can try to get in to the beta. No guarantees, though. Regardless, be sure to keep an eye out for The SandBox whenever it does hit the App Store.

It all started with a clever design and lots and lots of felt. After that initial success, Shawnimals grew into a fairly notable "indie" brand. This soon lead to a Nintendo DS game, followed by another on iOS. After all this activity, it's a wonder no one thought to make a custom ninja creation app. Well, until now anyway.

And Ninjatown Ninja Builder does just that. It incorporates elements from the classic and very recognizable Shawnimals style and lets users go nuts. Moods, body styles, backgrounds, clothing, colors and accessories can all be fiddled with in order to craft that perfect shadow warrior representation. Or just to make a goofy looking ninja. Whatever they're in the mood for, really.

In addition to the new app, Shawnimals and Venan have also released an update for Ninjatown: Trees of Doom!. Perhaps the app was made to celebrate the update, or perhaps it's the other way around. Or maybe it's just a coincidence. No matter the reason, owners of the iOS platformer can now enjoy a winter theme as well as new mountain and zombie ninja avatars.

Really though, Ninjatown Ninja Builder is what we're talking about here. And it's available on the App Store right now, ready to scratch that adorable ninja-making itch. The basic app is totally free, with two (thus far) additional content packs priced at $0.99 each.

Fantastic Contraption has survived its port from the online Flash game with exceptional grace. Its well-implemented puzzling system and expansive community portal for downloading and sharing levels make this one a no-brainer.